Keir Starmer Dodges Sack for Angela Rayner but Lets Ed Miliband Keep Power that Could Cost You Billions

Keir Starmer must have breathed a huge sigh of relief on Friday morning when Angela Rayner finally resigned. Many wondered why it took her so long, and why the Prime Minister never found the nerve to sack her. But in Westminster, there’s an even bigger puzzle. How on earth has Ed Miliband managed to cling on to his job?

It turns out Starmer did try to shuffle him out of the energy brief and into housing during his major reshuffle. But Miliband refused, and rather than push back, the Prime Minister backed down. For critics, that says everything about Starmer’s leadership style, reported the Express.

The problem for the public is that Miliband’s energy policies are already proving costly. Anyone who’s opened their energy bill lately knows the pain. Experts say his green levies make up as much as a quarter of the cost. He once promised bills would fall by £300 before the next election. Instead, they could jump by £900.

Then there’s his scheme to pay wind farms not to produce electricity. That policy alone is costing taxpayers around £670 million every year. And if Miliband’s wider plans get the green light, the country could be facing a bill of £800 billion that runs until 2051.

Polls still show that most people back the target of cutting carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. But Miliband himself is another story. His personal popularity has dropped to its lowest level in four years, and there’s little sign of it improving. As the full costs of his agenda become clearer, it’s likely to sink further.

For now, Miliband remains in post, and Starmer has chosen not to fight him. But if the Prime Minister wants to avoid being defined by policies many see as expensive and out of touch, he may need to find some backbone. As one observer put it, the longer Miliband stays, the more painful the fallout will be.